Alastair's treasured microadventure bucketlist is chock full of exciting things to do - and they're all very accessible: a swim in a river, or a night outdoors to see the blue moon when it ripens in summer. Even the walk around the entire, snow-blanketed M25 to find nature hidden behind an urban horror. All you need is spontaneity, a hint from social media or a nod to what's coming up in the evening sky. Humphreys is the father of microadventures, having popularised the term and spent a year finding sparks of adventure in everyday life, joined by every Tom, Dick and Harry he could reach online. He speaks directly to anyone who's ever thought, "I want adventure," but not quite known where to start. For him, it all started with four years spent cycling 46,000 miles around the world, getting hooked on adventure. He now rows the Atlantic and walks the length of India, but still finds time for precious microadventure episodes. However you choose to join the challenge, you'll be welcome.

An adventure powerhouse, at just 22 Levison hitch-hiked the Silk Road, legendary for its conflict and bloodshed, and emerged with his life still intact. Wood found himself horse riding the River Oxus on the Afghan border, but rolled with the punches. He has since walked the length of the Nile and then from Mexico to Colombia, crossing nations as if they were roads. His adventures make him one of the most recognisable British explorers, recently appearing on screen again while taking on the wild journey from Russia to Iran in brilliant style. His travels and work span more than 90 countries, but he's best known for exploring by foot. Take inspiration by trying a walk with meaning. Pick two points with poignancy in your own life - such as the place you were born and where you now live for example (or something else that calls to you), and make the pilgrimage. You'll treasure the memories for a lifetime.

You already know Torbet, in fact you've grown up with him - he's the voice of Action Man. But the adventure connection doesn't stop there - Torbet lives by his mission to "keep on coming up with new challenges, new ideas and new discoveries," bringing something of a superhero vibe to his own adventures too. Andy was a paratrooper in Afghanistan and he now gets his kicks from skydiving at 28,000 ft over the Arizona desert. At the other end of the scale, he can be found diving the Britannic this year in search of lost wonders. Not to mention, he's working with Southampton University to concoct a bat-like wingsuit that could break speed world records. We're dying to see that in action! Right now Torbet's training in the 'Ironman meets Aquaman' style Oceanworks hard suit which looks a lot like a sci-fi robot, but will actually allow him to dive up to 1,000 feet and walk along ocean depths - a once in a lifetime feat. Inspired by Torbet, you can try diving of a different kind - platform diving made popular in Cornwall's Port Gaverne. Do it from a safe height, into deep water and enjoy a tiny bit of the Action Man experience!

Ben may be the only man in the world whose job title is "human performance geek," but he's also an insane expert on all things polar - backed up by 17 years of expeditions, including skiing solo to the Pole. His polar training involves running 400m repeats up to marathon distance, and packing on some much needed fat stores. On slightly less frosty shores, Saunders plots microadventures in Wales and Scotland, with nothing but a car and a one-man tent. His relentless passion to stand solo in a barren wasteland is inspiring. Fancy a bit of alone time yourself? Pack some cosy gear in the heart of winter and catch a ski lift to the top of a mountain before ducking into the remoter areas and pitching camp. In the morning, boil yourself a hot chocolate on the campfire while building a snowman - all to the backdrop of a perfect snow covered silence.

It's goal achieved for Bingham who, at only 23, has already forged a life that qualifies as extraordinary, sailing across the Atlantic and working alongside Jaguar on key Mexican conservation projects. Laura's latest project is to cross South America by bike, without a penny to her name. It's her reaction to western notions that hunger is a vague rumbling in the tummy after 5 minutes without a biscuit - not what true starvation feels like. She'll be open to dumpster diving, piranha nibbling, or chowing down on bugs in order to survive her penniless odyssey, and will be raising funds for good causes along the way. Like many adventurers, Bingham started off with "one baby step," but those strides are getting bigger. To experience something of her epic journey, take the Live Below the Line challenge and get creative with cooking to live on a food budget of just £1 per day. That regular Starbucks order of yours would blow your food budget for days...

Holly's words to live by come from the first woman ever to skydive Everest. SKYDIVE. A born horse lover, Budge pushed the boundaries by racing half-wild horses 1,000 km across Mongolia for the infamous Mongol Derby. Meanwhile, when she's not driving off mountains she's snowboarding down them and has summited not only the mighty Everest, but the peaks of Mount Ranier and Cho-Oyu. It brings a whole new meaning to the idea of feeling on top of the world. Holly's start came when she became one of very few women employed to skydive in New Zealand alongside tourists, taking shots of them grimacing on the way down. Not something your average school careers advisor might have predicted, but a dream job for Holly. If leaping from a plane seems a step too far, try indoor skydiving instead. You'll find plenty of thrills with none of the usual risks, as an enormous walled wind turbine allows you to fly, spin and feel insanely free on a cushion of air, before letting you drift gently back down to earth.

Cracknell is a household name, thanks to his Olympic rowing golds - exploits that earned him an OBE. But since the double gold medals were first hung around his neck, he's forged a career in adventure. 2010 was Cracknell's American year, when he raced to cycle, run, row and swim from LA to the Big Apple in record time. Finding himself near death after being struck by a vehicle during his cycle through Arizona, he endured a difficult 6-month recovery to come back even stronger and take on the what's known as The Coldest Race on Earth, in the Yukon. He then turned his attention to epic polar races, and crossing cheery pieces of desert such as the Empty Quarter. Partnering with TRACKER bars and the Woodland Trust as part of the 2015 'Get Off The Beaten Track' campaign, Cracknell was keen to promote the Trust's 1,000+ woods, which are all free to visit. That campaign might be over, but the woodland adventure possibilities are still endless, from the colourful Cwm George & Casehill Woods in the Vale of Glamorgan to the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. Your nearest wood is probably closer than you think.

The man who took on the ultimate triathlon has been hailed by the press as a serial adventurer thanks to his success in rowing right across the Atlantic Ocean, climbing Mount Everest and cycling 18,000 miles around the world. These are known reverentially as 'the climb, the row and the cycle' and James is literally the only person on the planet to have completed that triathlon. In 2007, by contrast, things weren't looking quite so rosy. A motorbike accident had broken both of his legs and doctors predicted a permanent disability that would have put paid to any plans for an adventure lifestyle. Ketchell showed what he thought of that by cycling around the world and getting rescued in both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans! So there's no sign of him slowing down just yet. Last year, he rode non stop around Britain for 37 days, reaching the classic conclusion that it was "pretty hilly." North West Scotland was a rugged and mountainous highlight for James, but our superb national cycling routes put all of the UK's treasures within your reach. Take a look at the Sustrans website and see where you fancy.

Perhaps best known for her role on the Mission Survive TV series with Bear Grylls, Hine is an expert climber and cult 'adventure catalyst'. She frequently leads expeditions to wild and untouched parts of the globe where "endless horizons offer a multitude of possibilities, and a hefty dose of adrenaline draws me in." That drive has seen her foster survival contestants and expeditions in the most treacherous parts of the world, dealing equally well with dangerous bear caves, steaming jungles and gun-toting opium farmers. Hine gave up the home she rented on the basis she was never there, and now lives out of a van on the road. Her itchy feet might have taken her to the far corners of the earth, but she still loves getting together around a remote campfire and letting the stories fly - something we can all relate to.

Best known for flying a car from London to Timbuktu - no really - Laughton is also an Everest champion and constantly able to make the implausible, possible. That goes for his early outstanding commando career and his current million pound business exploits too. The flying car, far from being a Harry Potter scene, was a prototype that flew London to Timbuktu in 2009. It made a solo trip across the Straits of Gibraltar and a crossing of the Sahara Deserts, then swooped in triumph to Africa. The next year, having trekked to the South Pole, Neil took time out to play a round of cricket at the Pole. The Brits won, and the game went without a hitch at minus 35 degrees! Another adventure saw him and a friend circumnavigate the UK on ordinary and unmodified jet skis in a 30 day challenge - the first to do so. Apparently, that's what Laughton considers a summer holiday. One of Neil's highlights was jetting around the lighthouse at Land's End, so perhaps that's the perfect spot for your own jet ski microadventure?

Hicks is planning a truly breath-taking expedition to row solo around the world, going via Antarctica and the capes of all the continents, a feat never before achieved. One of the last great exploring feats as yet unconquered, this one will cement Hicks' place in the history books. His inexorable fascination with "what lies beyond the horizon" is nothing new however. It's what drove him to brave unbearable temperatures on a journey from Greenland to Scotland by sea kayak, and eat seal blubber to preserve life-saving body heat with fellow explorer George Bullard. Aged 23, Hicks was also the first person to cross 'the pond' from the US to UK in 2005 as a solo rower - a dream of his since the tender age of 13. He freely admits to having failed to complete an even bigger rowing attempt in 2009 though. Try your own rowing adventure with the 8.5 mile Thames Barrier Challenge - and grin even if you don't succeed.

9,000 miles into a lifetime of human-powered expeditions, Rich's adventures bring you right along with him! Literally in the case of his Spare Seat expedition - in which he kayaked from Niagara Falls to the Statue of Liberty with a random person in the back seat of the kayak every day. 200 million people tuned in watch this masterpiece when it was broadcast. His travels also include making the trip from London to Marrakech by bike and kayak (a mere 2,400 miles), canoeing the Yukon (700), sea kayaking from Vancouver to Alaska (1,000) and cycling the Sahara (another 550). Rich is also king of microadventures, spending 24 hours on a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) on the Severn as part of his Project 24 - a collection of 24 hour microadventures based on human power. What a great way to spend a weekend! It's hard to know where he finds time for it all, given that he's also editor of Bushcraft and Survival Skills Magazine, co founder of Inspired Life, and - together with his wife Ashley - runs a watersports and adventure business in Bedfordshire. Your mission should you choose to accept it? "The Great Glenn Canoe Trail is a superb paddling adventure," Rich suggests, where you can cut your teeth on the legendary Loch Ness.

Casually proclaimed an MBE, Outen has the kind of life dreams are made of. The first woman to cross the Indian Ocean, it's a feat she accomplished solo, doggedly rowing to the end. Still, she topped that with her four year 'London2London via the World' journey, going around the world with only a boat, 'Happy Socks', bike and kayak. Sarah is rightly proud of having returned alive despite the wiles of hurricane Joaquin and rescue by coastguards in Japan- now an internationally acclaimed adventurer by land and sea. And when she's not blowing away the global media, her microadventures start with jumping in rivers and lakes, or taking an SUP out to the nearest cliffs.

Having vowed to fill his boots with "experiences rather than things," Conway sold his business for a quid in 2011, and set about living his life on the kind of freedom we all fantasise about. His gift is for transforming the mundane into the sublime. Finding that a train from his mum's house to London cost around £50, he decided to walk those 115 miles instead, and do it at a saving! Conway also devised an epic 'Length of Britain' challenge too, running its length in stretches of 40 miles each day. Then he did it all again by boat, sailing it in 83 hours. Finally swimming it, because "it was the only thing left to do." Sean is all about trying new things and one of his biggest thrills was the infamous Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling and Wake contest - "the best 23 seconds of my life" - and in a smart suit at that. A moment of craziness for your own bucket list?

Plunging head first off a cliff with only a parachute between her and certain death is second nature to Falconer, who spent 10 days on an Idaho bridge base jumping. Brimming with exuberance and a total wild card, Squash admits she was missing the day that "you mustn't do that, it's impossible" philosophies were given out. Naturally, she's climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and Everest and Cho Oyu - just to prove a point - and ridden a motorbike to the foot of Mont Blanc, before climbing it and paragliding down again. "Two days up and 22 minutes down" as she puts it. Squash also holds a world record for the longest distance travelled on an ElliptiGO elliptical bike. Quickwitted, she says that "knickers are the very foundation of your adventures" - all else will follow. And with that being the base level of preparation, it should be hard to find an excuse not to rent an elliptical cycling bike (the kind that move, not those ones in the gym) and put in some miles!

A willingness to get up close and friendly with venomous snakes is a great way to get started in TV, and Backshall did just that in Columbia - somewhere he now owns a chunk of rainforest. These days a full time adventurer, Steve has encircled the globe many times, completing the Israeli paratroopers selection course, diving into the Sinai desert, and reaching black belt level in martial arts in Japan. Backshall is down to earth at heart though, and recommends simply getting up close with as much nature as possible - venom being optional. Try scrambling for a taste of adrenaline that's accessible to almost anyone. Pinnacle Ridge in the Lakes is an ideal spot, or anything in Glyder Fawr, Wales.

Avery is the youngest Briton to have reached both Poles, done with several world records in hand. He's also known for the knockout trilogy of expeditions to both poles and a crossing of Greenland. The North Pole being achieved in authentic 1900s style with Eskimo dogs and replica period sledges! Yet before adventure struck, Avery was an accountant, believe it or not. Even as a child, he dreamed of following in Captain Scott's footsteps and became captivated by volcanoes. This took him to the tallest peaks of the Andes, the African Rift Valley and the Pacific Ring of Fire - mid-eruption on occasion. Volcanoes and poles may be a tall order, but challenge yourself to sleep at least one night in an isolated spot, perhaps a little-known island. The British coastline is peppered with them.

However hard you try, your year is unlikely to compare with Copestake's circumnavigation of Scotland by kayak, and largely winter ascent of the Munros (all 282 of the 3,000ft peaks) over 364 glorious days. And despite preceding that adventure by crossing the length of Iceland on foot and then following up with kayaking the Patagonian and Norwegian Fjords, Will has crushed the idea that to you have to stray far to find adventure. He's since spent a winter climbing all 222 Corbett mountains in a social adventure, inviting anyone and everyone to join him. A guide, photographer and serial adventurer, Will urges you to hike or kayak your way into any bothy, bringing the essentials: wood, whisky and tales of adventure. That's his surefire way for a real Scottish adventure to come alive.

Chris jacked in a good job as an architect to focus on becoming a wilderness guide via a training course in Finland. Surviving insanely tough conditions, his coursework included hiking Paanajärvi National Park in Russia and spending a night in the woods with nothing but a knife and his wits. Hardly tame! Completing his course, he topped it off by hitch-hiking his way from Helsinki back to London. He's also swum the Thames over 137 miles, and - simply to prove his willingness to join an ocean rowing squad - rowed from Oxford to London. Now that's teamwork! A grounded figure, Mount proves that the wilderness is also for real people, even those without two pennies to rub together. His challenge to you, naturally, is to swim for free in your nearest safe river. Grab yourself a towel and get out there!

A triple round-the-world yachtsman, Humphreys must be pretty used to circumnavigating the world by now. And having completed the legendary non-stop race, single-handed and without assistance, it was time for a new challenge. Conrad was most recently seen on Channel 4 recreating Captain Bligh's legendary and gruelling voyage towards the West Indies, punctured by mutiny on board. Cast out on a mission to survive 4,000 miles of ocean and reach Timor, he used only traditional navigation equipment and survived off the same meagre rations as Bligh. "I've learned to be very content with very little around me," he comments wryly of the experience. He now offers adventurers the chance to hold their own Mutiny Day via the Bounty's End project. Onboard the series' ship you can recreate the whole experience. Time to pit your skills against his?

De Rothschild was best known as the heir to an international banking empire, but it's fair to say he's written himself a new tagline. Recognising the horrifying reality that the globe's oceans are saturated with tonnes of floating plastic, in 2010 David created his own catamaran from 12,000 plastic bottles, and sailed her from San Francisco to Sydney, on a wave of environmental glory. He called her Plastiki after the famous Kon-tiki 1947 expedition. An adventurer for 15 years, and with more countries under his belt than most of us could name, he has crossed the icy wastes of Antarctica, set a speed record crossing Greenland's harsh landscape, and reached the North Pole with hungry polar bears on his tail. Defining himself as an eco-adventurer, he then turned to the fashion world, launching an (impeccably green) extreme lifestyle clothing brand called The Lost Explorer. The message that waste is a resource not a nuisance, taking something worthless and giving it greatness, is truly inspiring. Those looking to re-fashion something into their own vessel should have a go at the eccentric hobby of floating down the river on a humble tractor inner tube. Get some friends involved and make it a race. Loser buys the first round!

Rising from the ashes of divorce and the end of a rugby career, Elin transformed herself and her fortunes by rowing across the Atlantic in 2007. "It was cheaper than therapy," she quips. A paediatric nurse by day, Davies has raised a cool £300,000 for charity through her adventures. She says of normal life "I tried it once, and it nearly killed me!" Try a trail run around Elin's favourite part of the UK, Nant Gwytheyrn and Portmeirion.

A specialist in speedflying and slacklining, McCann is a force to be reckoned with. He's climbed sheer drops with names like El Capitan and The Chief, and won against America's Cirque of the Unclimbables - each of which deserve their reverential name. Just now, he's training as a helicopter pilot - for a bit of a break, we presume. Having overshot his own life bucket list quite spectacularly, his top pick for a more human goal is jumping from Adam to Eve on the summit of Tryfan. The everyday world pales into comparison against the feeling of leaping between the twin peaks of a 3,000 ft mountain, he assures us. The north ridge of the mountain is actually a great scramble for those just starting out, all of which is rewarded with a spry bounce between twin stones at the top. McCann is also a regular camper on the Devonian Island of Lundy, the perfect venue for a beginner's camp out or an explorer's first steps.

Hannah believes in achievable goals, so this year has set her sights on becoming the fastest woman on water there has ever been. While you're clocking in at the office, Hannah will be breaking territorial and national speed sailing records. She's pushing the utmost limits of human speed and technology, and the necessary strength training has taken the best part of a year. Land Rover are engineering a special one-of-a-kind vessel for her. Not that she's known for her limited mileage, she's sailed the Atlantic several times and raced across the French Alps too. In one French race, she heaved a 180kg sled through mountains and kayaked at ludicrous speed across Lake Geneva. Breaking the 40 knot sailing speed barrier will be chickenfeed. One of Hannah's first adventures was to kayak across England. The Brecon Beacons National Park offers some cracking kayaking opportunities - and why should celebrities get to have all the fun?

Not one to boast, Bragg has run the length of New Zealand in 53 days - faster than anyone else on the planet. He's refreshingly down to earth - training by running loops around his family home - and yet, kind of a big deal too. An ultra-distance runner who knows no limits, Jez squeezes some of the world's most challenging running events around his day job is as a construction project manager. So there's hope for us all! When he runs, Bragg drifts into a dreamy place where he sets a pace and barely notices the miles - the kind of inner peace so many of us crave. He won the The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in 2010 and topped that in 2013 with the 3,000km Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand. Closer to home, he loves to run routes around Dorset, has set time records on Ramsay's Round in Scotland and competed more than once in the Hoka Highland Fling Race. For Bragg, nothing beats the feel of a crumbling coastal path beneath his feet, with dusk lights twinkling ahead as he runs. You can easily squeeze a microadventure into three hours, so start at 5 o'clock and see how far you can get before the dark draws in.

As a veteran of the army and fire service, Wood is at home in hostile environments from the Arctic Circle to the Himalayas. Travelling from Russia to the Geographic North Pole over 70 days proved his thirst for adventure, but for Wood "everything begins with a seed" and a spark of excitement is all it takes to drive a mission. That seed could be rambling the beaches of Norfolk, as Wood did during his training, since those slippery sands echo the feeling of pulling a sledge on ice. In his wisest moment yet, Wood is quick to advise, "taking a roll of toilet paper is always good!"

Part man, part surfboard, Dorey has made a lifestyle out of campervan living, trying to make things right and writing about his chilled out travels. More recently, he's been touring the UK, complete with kettle and campervan, documenting his progress under the hashtag #taketheslowroad. Dorey rants about litter in all his books, and a lot on social media, urging anyone who hits the outdoors to clean up after themselves and others via his globally successful #2minutebeachclean campaign. His mantra of 'leave it nicer' will resonate with anyone who knows that it isn't enough to leave only footprints any more. To beat the day-to-day doldrums, he suggests coasteering in Wales, surfing in Cornwall or skinny dipping in the Hebrides - all of which require nothing other than a bit of courage. Go find a sea cave, a natural rock slide, a pool to swim in, a route to rocket down - and savour the views that your average Joe might never see. If you've seen Jaws too many times to tackle the sea, spice your week up with some land-based challenges instead. Dorey reckons, "if we make life too easy, it loses its bite." Every Monday morning will feel crisper after a night under canvas, and the daily rat race feels effortless after a Sunday night camping somewhere inspiring. Quite right too.

The definition of an intrepid traveller, Pip finished a stint working in Asia by cycling home to London via 26 countries, netting herself a job as adventure editor for Red Bull in the process. Nothing can break her, not even almost being blown up by mortars on the Afghan border. The icing on the cake was propelling herself from the mouth of the Amazon river to Lima, over 3000 miles, raising awareness of rainforest destruction. Ventures on two wheels are Stewart's crowning glory, but for those of us without the time to cycle from Malaysia, here's a suggestion. Force yourself to commute to work by the most creative way possible, can you cycle over the countryside and reach work fresh faced after a few hours? Or could rollerskates or a scooter get you there? It's time to find out!

A former commando and now mainstay of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, Heffield is a tough nut to crack. He used to train marines, now he scales the Nevada Desert with the cast of survivor shows. All in a day's work! For would-be adventurers, he knows it's study before jeopardy, advising you to "bag a couple of basic courses such as ML (Mountain Leader) or SPA (Single Pitch Award)" to get a flying start. Well qualified himself, it's on to toe clenching peril, such as the 36 joyful hours he spent alone in a snowhole on Mount Elbus. He's also battled the Ross Ice Shelf and much of Antarctica. To smash your own comfort zone, he recommends making a beeline for snow and ice. Tackle a winter route on the North Face of Ben Nevis and, if necessary, follow a local guide.

Hunt is that rare person who can persuade the British public away from their time-honoured tradition of stag parties centred around drinking and outlandish pranks involving tutus. His company, 7th Rise, successfully captured the nation's hunger for something outdoors, wild and unique. Nestled in what was once a smugglers' cave in Cornwall and trading on the delicious currency of NDBs - Never Done Befores - rather than alcoholic shots, Hunt's re-wilding experience is all about reconnecting you with the wilderness. Bringing adventure back by sleeping in a hammock village below the stars, showering in the open, hunting with self-made knives. And lessons in butchery. Though there is still room for swigging ales and ciders as the sun sets. If you're bored with life and need a change, why don't you join him for a few NDBs in Cornwall? Or at least challenging yourself to a few microadventure at home...

Gooley has led expeditions in five continents, studied the remotest regions on the planet and sailed solo across the Atlantic thanks to his unique talents. Tristan managed to get a craft to Africa guided purely by nature, so we reckon we could at least try a row around the Lakes using a compass and no new-fangled tech. But for his own top choice in the UK, Gooley channels his lust for adventure into the Isle of Purbeck. Head to Swanage for the chance to take the helm of a classic tall-ship along the Jurassic coastline via Moonfleet Adventure Sailing. If "ignorance is opportunity" as Tristan says, we're full of promise! The next Gooley challenge is to cross Kielder Forest, with no artificial guides and no Google Maps - see you among the trees!

The woman behind the #AdventureRevolution, Kirk has walked across the entirety of Nicaragua, searched for camels in China's Desert of Death, and explored age-old rock paintings in Lesotho. Talk about a thirst for adventure! That passion for life on the edge led her to found Explorers Connect, a community for everyone from wannabes to experienced commandos to get together and show you how to make your life more exciting. Even better, she launched Britain's National Day of Adventure. When can that become a bank holiday please? For now, save the 1st of July as Wild Night Out Day and join people across the country in getting outdoors with friends and loved ones, filling Britain's fields and hedge rows with first time campers!

Lerwill is a seasoned travel writer, lucky enough to turn his intriguing exploits into the source of a freelance writing career. His six month tour around Australia in a Toyota - not the van we'd have chosen - nabbed him a wife, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Since then, Ben has worked on seven continents, cycled the Northumberland coast between two YHAs, and slept on a deserted empty Shetland Island beach. Get off the sofa, dump your iPhone, and join him in heading to the hills. The Snowdon Horseshoe is one option, flanked with breathtaking views, you'd be done and dusted by the day's end, ready for a cosy camp out.

Allen deserves your attention for two reasons: by surviving for perhaps the longest of anyone in the world's most hostile environments, as the only man to ever have crossed the Gobi desert with just camels for support. And as the only madman on the planet capable of crossing the Amazon basin at its widest point. A big fan of real isolation and jeopardy, Benedict prides himself on dumping any back up, and skipping the cosy support of a camera crew in favour of filming for himself. As we write this, Benedict has just been found after going missing in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Getting home safely is rule number one of adventure as far as we're concerned. That isn't to question his adventure credentials though. Allen once sewed up his own wound in using a boot mending kit (not really the sort of first aid we advocate!) and, though haunted by his decision, succumbed to eating a faithful dog companion while on the brink of death with malaria. "My philosophy? In a nutshell, it's about leaving things at home!" Everything but the boot mending kit, clearly. Allen's challeng to you is to disconnect and enjoy a microadventure without the big bucks. Challenge yourself to live for a day or two on a £5 budget and see how creative you get with commuting, singing for your supper and seeking out free adventure. Do it like Allen, without the fancy kit, and we'll be cheering you on.

Just another weekday morning and Murray is grabbing his running shoes for the route between the birthplace of Genghis Khan and Ulan Bator in Mongolia. He's the man-machine that ran seven marathons on seven continents within a week, and placed first in the world's most gruelling races - the North Pole Marathon and the Antarctic Ice Marathon - so it's nothing unheard of in the Murray household. If you're short of ideas to shadow Doc, his most popular home-grown adventure is camping out in the solace of Ben Nevis. Anyone can shoulder a sleeping bag and spend the night in the lee of a UK mountain. Try it!

Coats broke into adventuring by beating 600 eager applicants to a place in an epic race to the South Pole, alongside two of our other extreme adventurers, Fogle and Cracknell. He then dealt with the usual 'turning 30' crisis by taking on 30 adventurous challenges around the UK to mark the year - and did it in style. A Thames swim here, a coast-to-coast race there, Ed had easily beaten the 30s blues. Microadventures are the solution to every aging milestone, it seems! Leading expeditions to the North Pole and running marathons might keep the fires burning within Coats, but for the rest of us an age based goal could be just the motivation we need for a round of challenges. Grab your ideas from this list, and challenge yourself to complete 10, 20 or more before your next birthday or milestone. It'll make your birthdays more meaningful than ever before.

"Everything was pointing at a high-flying graduate job," Woodhouse says honestly of her post-university life, "but I couldn't bring myself to do any of them." It's a struggle that many of us would identify with, but Emily has opted instead to be a pioneer of the delightfully bizarre art of Extreme Adventure Knitting. And that is meant all too literally. To take part, find absolutely any edge - "be it a cliff, a camel or the edge of reason," and get your needles clicking. To share it, snap a photo and use #EAK. Woodhouse's exploits have taken her on a tandem bicycle slog "from Cambridge to Plymouth via Switzerland" and on foot hiking across a glacier, resulting in a career writing about her adventures. That all starts with her new women's outdoor adventure print magazine, Intrepid, which aims to have women be taken seriously in adventure, outdoors and sport. She isn't settling for ordinary life just yet!

Foskett has become addicted to "walking ridiculous distances in remote locations" or, as he calls it, through-hiking - and that's how he came to conquer the Camino de Santiago, the Applachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail. Possibly all the more incredible given that he currently lives with his parents. And he still found time to hike from the north west to the south east through Scotland, starting at Cape Wrath. "We do seem to slot big adventures in our own country on the back burner," he comments. We forget that home adventures may not always be there, ready and eager to accept us like an excited spaniel. Keith calls Britain "a wanderluster's playground", riddled as it is with illogical paths and rights of way. His mission, of course, is to get everyone through-hiking extreme distances. Start instead with a spare Saturday and a map of the local rights of way in your area, then see what hidden gems you can uncover. You can always graduate to one of the UK's long distance walking trails.

An adventure photographer with a talent for accessing the most challenging shoot locations, Liam has made a name for himself by getting to the Ice Valley of Cheongsong, or camping on the shores of the southern Red Sea to grab that inimitable shot. And he's a top climber to boot. According to Lonsdale, good climbers are "psyched to see people that are hungry and trying hard," so surround yourself with the best and keep pushing. Forget hesitating, throw caution to the wind and try deep water soloing. Climb a rock face above deep water without a rope, and if all goes wrong, there'll be quite a splash. The deep water should cushion your landing, and spur you into another attempt, but please be responsible!

At 18, Mark went on an expedition to the Arctic, and from that starting point, he's now been adventuring for 30 years. Two years living in a tent left him unfazed, as did four months without sunlight in Svalbard. And to think that we complain about a gloomy British weekend! He's taken on Oman's Mother of Poisons quicksands and crossed Greenland's ice cap using only two legs and a parachute to propel him - losing 12 kilos to the harsh conditions. For Evans, an early research trip became the spark for a lifetime of adventure. Not all of us can cross the desert, but we could all spend a night at the beach, cradled by sand and feeling a taste of the freedom that Evans draws upon. Who's to say where that might lead?

To get the perfect shot, Hartley brought Britain's prized FA Cup all the way to the pole. After all, here is a photographer who specialises in documenting the remotest places on earth where "it is a challenge just to stay alive, let alone pull out a camera." Honed through 20 polar assignments, he has crossed the Arctic Ocean on foot and with dogs, and is hailed as one of the top British Arctic explorers. Three trips to the Antarctic have tested his limits and now, ironically, it's his day job. There has never been a shortage of commitment though - on receiving his first invite to an expedition, he sold all his equipment to pay for the flights. Live life through Hartley's eyes by wrapping up warm and spending a night out of doors with a crisp layer of frost, perhaps in a forest, on a beach or on low lying ground anywhere else. In the morning you'll see your breath, and the whole world, in a new light.

A wild camping aficionado, "I found myself looking for ways to have quick adventures closer to home," Smith explains. In her eyes, watching the sunrise from the top of a mountain after bivvying on a summit is the easiest way to experience that heart-stopping feeling of adventure. And anyone with a weekend and a pulse could do the same. With a day job as editor of Wanderlust magazine, Phoebe has camped at all the extreme points of mainland Britain, and enjoyed eye-watering sights from craggy cliffs and bottomless valleys, to the Bavarian Alps and the glaciers of the North Pole. To grab your own slice of the adventure, enjoy a night sleeping out underneath a natural shelter. Think a hammock among trees, or a sleeping bag under the cover of a giant boulder. You've nothing to lose to everything to gain.

At times it seems like almost every adventurer started from pro status in sport and rose inexorably from there. Smith can sing a different tune. Unable to swim, he took his first lesson at 37 and within a year was an endurance swimmer facing down the 24 mile stretch of Loch Ness. And he did it exclusively to shine a beam on "that fear that holds us back," kicking that emotion solidly into touch. So who is this quick learner? Russell left normal jobs behind at 19 to travel the length of Britain on a kick scooter. He went on to run from Paris to London and earn a world record for longest journey via space hopper - on his birthday, and around central London of all places. Now Ordnance Survey's GetOutside champion, Smith works to get people outside of their front doors. It doesn't have to be scooting the length of the country or camping on the highest mountain in this hemisphere - strolling the length of a canal path, getting to a random spot on the map, or spending a night stargazing in the garden all counts. Would it be rude to make an attempt on his 4.2 mile space hopper record? We kind of fancy it...

Describing himself as "profoundly timid," in the next breath Calder mentions hiking the Inca Trail and climbing the highest mountain in the Himalayas. All this from a man from Crawley, so consider us impressed. He plans his adventures "with a map, and some trepidation," but has been hitchhiking since the age of 12 and continues to thumb his way around the world. One digit can clearly get you a long way, as thumbing got him from Preston to Glasgow in a recent social experiment, clutching a sign emblazoned with 'North, please'. Why not scrawl your own sign and see how far you can get before nightfall? Then camp out, and wake up ready to explore!

Not content with a world record for longest rickshaw ride, Tim is the man behind other British adventurers - backing them with grants and expertise. As far as Moss is concerned, if you know how to ride a bike, then you know all you need to about cycle touring. News to us, but it's a fact that nowhere in the UK is more than 70 miles from the sea. Ever mischievous, Moss tested the theory with a 12 hour run from London, and hit waves. Could you tempt yourself with a bike ride to your nearest coast for some clifftop camping? In 2010 he ran the length of the London Tube network over weekends, spread across a total of 8 months. That's accessible backyard adventure for sure! What could you do over a few weekends to emulate that?

Plunging into water wherever she finds it is the free spirited Vivienne, who enjoys the limitless sensation of diving in and exploring a turquoise underwater world. No expense, no fancy gear - just a moment of bravery and a willingness to let go. But before you try to swim the Channel "dip your toes in locally first," warns Rickman-Poole, recommending the New Forest as the perfect spot to start a wild adventure - and ideal for a weekend of action. Vivienne has graduated to the big leagues, and shown us where the spark of adventure can lead. After a month out in Finland experiencing ice holing, Vivienne has taken on extremes of wild swimming that most of us could only dream of, capturing it all with vivid dreamy grace. Her other travels include swimming every body of water in Snowdonia and bathing in burns in the Isle of Arran. It sure beats the local pool.

The man who enjoys Mondays, Cornthwaite traded in a tired career in graphic design for the world of pure human endurance spectacles. He jumped ship by longboarding the length of the UK and Australia, casually breaking some records - and looking like something out of Back to the Future. He's now deep in Expedition1000, 25 journeys over 1K miles each using different transport - and the transportation is only getting wackier. We love the stylish ice trike. And it's not like Dave can argue, since he's also campaigning to #SayYesMore with a Yesbus, Yestival and Yestribe. Take a leaf out of Dave's book and push yourself to give a few more precious "yes" responses by joining the community of adventurers that is the Yestribe. It's a place for adventurers to connect and for anyone who needs a little motivation to grasp life's precious opportunities.

Four time record breaker Bullard is a tour de force in the adventuring world. He's completed 2,000 miles on polar journeys, and solved the mystery of an Inuit community's presence on a remote Scotland island by kayaking an incredible 1,200 miles from Greenland to the Scottish Isles. Above all, he knows that there are no second chances so never says no to an adventure. Putting that idea into practice, he set up IGO Adventures, designed to give ordinary people the ecstasy of adventures well earned. For a group adventure, it's a great approach. Mind you, you could kayak the Great Glen from Inverness to Fort William, George's own fondest microadventure, or bike across Ireland within the space of a long weekend. Totally doable, we promise.

Having challenged and beaten Everest no less than twelve times (twice in a week at one point), Cool is also an avid long distance cyclist and has conquered two Haute Routes (Geneva to Nice, and Barcelona to Anglet). He earned fame as the only Briton ski down two 8,000m peaks and his motivation is relentless. Now he turns his eye towards inspiring others and providing experiential adventures to groups in the British countryside. Cool by name, cool by nature, is what we say. His mountaineering adventures service guides teams into the Glyders with just food, water and tents for 24-48 hours. But then, he's definitely the right guy to follow up a mountain!

Mark is the king of ultra races, running them in such tempting environments as the Amazon, Sahara, Arctic or Himalayas. An average marathon just isn't adventurous enough, clearly! Believing he has "one life and no level," he watched a Fogle documentary on desert marathons and decided he had nothing to lose. Hines is now the sort of guy that pops up wherever two coasts are improbably far apart. His goals for 2017 were to cycle from the top to bottom of Canada, and then from the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific. It's a life of adventure that also includes a coast to coast across Europe on a stand up paddleboard (SUP). For your own adventure, head to the hills. In the Lakes you'll be called a fellrunner, but anywhere'll do. Find a tempting spot and take on the wild terrain, then sleep out in deep self-satisfaction.

Peake lived and worked 400km above the Earth on the international Space Station for 186 days - and if that doesn't merit a little awe, we don't know what does. He also ran the London Marathon from space, the only person ever to have done so. You'd have been forgiven for thinking that 3,000 orbits of Earth, covering a distance of about 125 million km, might have been gruelling enough for the body. Interesting fact: due to the space station's swift orbit, he also saw the sunrise 16 times each day! Back on Earth, Peake is an ambassador for the Scouts, grinning at the thought that it was all of those nights spent in a tent peeking out at a starry sky that drove him to pursue a career as an astronaut in the first place. Space might not be an option - and even the Zero-G experience would cost a few quid. But maybe you can find motivation in the Scout's Adventure Challenge Award? Set yourself a weekend of goals and revel in the glow of time well spent afterwards.

Billing himself as blind and dangerous, Dunbar has no vision due to a long term eye condition - but that hasn't stopped him pushing the rest of his body to its limits for many years. He sets world records like they're going out of fashion. Casual achievements, like being the first blind individual to bungee from a helicopter, or participating in a human catapult. When he's not acting as living slingshot he's an unstoppable fan of SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding), nipping up the 92km Caledonian Canal and creating his own 3 Lakes Challenge. The idea is to defeat the 3 longest lakes in Britain - Loch Awe, Lake Windermere and Lake Bala. Dean did it over 24 hours, but a long weekend would be sweet triumph enough we feel?

Ed is the man who walked the entire length of the Amazon, and blogged about it. Walking the Amazon from source to sea, it was a global first and took him over two years. He'd read about the kayaking of the Amazon and couldn't resist one-upping it. The result was a long slog that required the determination to put on wet clothes every day and get back in swamp-like conditions. As a man, he's refreshingly easy to relate to though. He admits in his expedition diary that sometimes he can't stomach a trip, but once he's there he loves it. The first step is always the hardest. Of course for those of us less keen to be dropped naked on a desert island, the world has plenty of more realistic adventure goals. Try cycling or walking the perimeter of the tiny county of Rutland for example. It might not be the Amazon, but it's still a quirky and fun achievement. It's called the Rutland Round and lasts for 65 glorious miles.

Moulded in the Air Training Corps, Rawles went on to act as an adventure guide around Britain and in far flung destinations such as Kilimanjaro. His adventures have seen him ice climb in the Arctic Circle and inch past pit vipers in Borneo's jungles. Grabbing life by the throat is the only way. Jason's idea is that everyone can catch the adventure bug, even the purest couch potato. After all, he's a living breathing example, having come a long way from early roles as an IT sales person, and postie. He started The Adventurer Club to kick off that "inspiration ripple". The club is boot camp for wannabe adventurers, offering wild camping, bucket list challenges and scrambling days to fit real people with real lives. It'll jostle you out of your comfy bubble for a weekend and, who knows, maybe plant the seeds of bigger things to come. Could that be the push you've been needing?

Imagine if all those teachers who told you they'd bring history to life weren't fibbing? That's the world of Gosling's Adventures. An NHS physiotherapist by trade, Gosling has become known as the girl who adventures through history. Having recently cycled the entire 3,500 mile length of what was once the Iron Curtain, collecting the stories of people who lived through that time, Justine's imaginative escapades are more than vain record attempts. They reunite us with the past and evoke lost worlds. Next on Gosling's agenda is a Tudor saga, running from Bosworth Field to the grave of Elizabeth I. Before that, her driving force was a love of the Arctic and a passion for volunteering. She has swum the Bosporus Strait, walked the entire length of Finland, undertaken a two week unsupported kayaking expedition in Svalbard, and escorted D-Day veterans returning to Normandy. Fundraising for something meaningful could give your adventures the kick they need!

Leo is a heliskier, casually floating down from helicopters to land on snow and ski for the horizon. It's all part of the new wave of para-alpinism, which is basically getting up a mountain and base jumping down, via the most epic route possible. He's evidently drawn to the extremes of this world - places that normal climbers regard as suicidal. Leo decided he wanted to climb the mist-shrouded Cerro Autana in the Amazon basin in 2015, in what's known as the Lost World, and did so after taking hallucinogens in a local shaman ceremony. Not entirely wise, we imagine. Undaunted, Houlding then challenged himself with Asgard, deep in the Arctic and summited it through "blood, sweat and tears." There was time for a little wingsuit flying in Italy before he faced his most recent insanity of climbing Ulvetanna, Antarctica - the world's last great wilderness. Start your climbing journey with Little Chamonix in Cumbria's Shepherds Crag, an easy starter rock, or the spectacular Old Man of Hoy in the Orkney Islands (which Houlding scaled at age 10). See you at the top!

If you ever toy with the idea of leaving your day job, make Rob Penn your inspiration. He traded traditional success in a law career in the City (and the kind of income that provides) for a bike and five continents aching to be explored. A "bikecation" as he puts it, it's a dramatic and inspiring career turn if ever we saw one. What Penn calls "meditation with movement" is the relentless churning of the wheels over 40,000 km, where there's nothing to do but keep going. His insight is that if you can cycle a little each day, you will quickly find it addictive. And the evidence is certainly on his side. Readily accepting the title 'Bike Nut', Penn still cycles every day - his Bikecation firm organising amateur cycle tour holidays in the UK.

Allen's only plan has been to "ride as far as possible and see what happens." Calling what he does 'bikepacking', Allen started his bike adventures in the Highlands with mates and cycled his way through the length of Britain without a penny, on gear bought for less than £30. If you're not ready to cut up your credit cards, challenge yourself to cycle the width of Britain at any point (coast to coast) on a fixed low daily budget, and see how much going on an adventure really costs. Narrow points such as the coast by Carlisle to the one in Northumberland are only about 75 miles apart and would make for an awesome weekend. Allen would be cheering all the way.

Not many people can say they've partied with Kazakhs on the Caspian Sea ferry or eaten everything from "Tibetan stew to alligator meat." So Bruce could fairly be called an anomaly. He started in 2011 with a 23,000 km trek around the world, biking through blazing hot deserts and perilous mountains, and living on $5 per day. Cycling China's Three Gorges, his transport was a £15 folding bike. He clearly knows a bargain when he sees it! When he's not buying adventure gear from pound shops (we kid!), he's taking on fatbiking tours across the UK and abroad, allowing access to slippery trails unsuitable for ordinary bikes. Try fatbiking yourself, on the Postman's Trail on the Isle of Harris or in the stunning landscape of the Cairngorms. You'll be hot on Tom's heels!

An outdoor journalist and ultramarathon addict, Hall puts Forrest Gump to shame, running long distances in the Sahara Desert, Alps and Dolomites for fun. His book, A Year On The Run, has an extreme endurance feat for every day of the year. We're guessing that the Cotswolds no longer feel quite so cosy and chocolate box charming when you set foot on all 102 miles of their length in under 20 hours. Romantic as always, Damian trekked Everest Base Camp for his honeymoon. Possibly a bit much for your average newlywed, you could still ring in that anniversary with a long walk together, perhaps in the endearing Cotswolds (where Damian lives)?

Downing's mission to live in the moment is about the pursuit of happiness through sore limbs, burning lungs and simple needs. After all, "the world needs more happy people." She ran the coast of Britain - 5,000 miles, a distance of over 200 marathons - because a city graduate job left her with a hole inside that only adventure could fill. And she's taking us all with her. No more saying "I'd like to come back here some day," about a place while we're still standing there! The best time is always now! Re-running the Welsh Coastal Path Elise found it just as glorious as she remembered ("but a bit more hilly") and marked the end of the journey with a star-lit camp out at Hadley Castle with the Yestribe. With 64 free hours in any given weekend, how many similar memories could you make? Challenge yourself to an weekend of adventure!

The camera whizz whose thirst for more results in an ever-escalating spiral of days on expeditions, Partridge is the unsung hero of every adventure film that has made you say wow. Probably. Renowned in the industry as a highly experienced cameraman and filmmaker, Keith recently abseiled a vertical kilometre alongside the world's highest waterfall in Venezuela on behalf of the BBC. His job has led him to the ends of the earth, up Everest and and through various rainforests in a quest for the perfect shot. His talent for capturing the exploits of others makes him no less a true adventurer in his own right. His tactic is to steadily one-up yourself before your dreary side has any time to object. If you hill walk, try scrambling. If you scramble, try winter mountaineering or ice-climbing. If you down-hill ski, try ski-touring - and so on. Onwards and upwards!

Mischiefmaker Anna finds time in her schedule for everything from the grandest endeavours to mini adventures that warm the soul. Originally an Olympic athlete, she cycled the states of the US on a whim and her adventure career has since skyrocketed with a run the length of New Zealand and a cycle trip of the Andes taking in climbs 11x that of lowly Everest. Tongue firmly in cheek, she then ran the length of Hadrian's Wall dressed as a Roman soldier - just for kicks. A perfect example of her maxim: "find the style of adventure that suits you." The armour and shield are optional, but we could all tread the length of the wall, walking or running - and snuggling down under a bivvy bag at night.

A calming face on TV masks an incredible history of outlandish adventure for Fogle. He was a legitimate explorer before he ever gracing our screens. Perhaps most memorable, was his mission to collect rare plant species in the Pacific Islands, where locals interpreted him as a spy and held him for a barrage of inquisition. Then there was the time he recreated the epic desert journey of Wilfred Thesiger - a cool 700 km with camels through the hostile Empty Quarter - or when he raced from Antarctica to the South Pole, in the footsteps of Captain Scott. He has since embarked on a year of adventures, swimming from Alcatraz to San Francisco, flying a fighter jet in the Czech Republic and running the Dolomites marathon. Count us out for Alcatraz, but a year of pushing boundaries is well within reach. Map an adventure per season in your calendar and aim to stay firmly outside your comfort zone.

Once simply a lawyer from Oxford, Flynn is now known as the 10 Million Metre Man - a title that has a nice ring to it, we'll admit. Having received an early diagnosis of youth-onset Parkinson's that threatened to rob his mobility, he defiantly responded with the decision to walk, cycle or (if necessary) crawl that legendary distance. He nailed it by 2014. If a disease sought to rob his muscles of power, Flynn was going to move like never before. The icing on the cake has been two Marathon des Sables runs in almost 10 million miles of desert post-diagnosis, and he's battled through the Trans-America Challenge which crosses Death Valley and Route 66 too. No question, the wind was in his hair that day, and literally nothing stands in his way. Flynn fundraises for a cure to be achieved within his lifetime that will "change the lives of millions around the world." But no man is an island. Alex invites every Joe Bloggs in the country take up their own 10 Million Metre Challenge in aid of Parkinson's research. Join in at your own pace under the battle cry #KeepMoving!

Beaumont has spent more than a year of his life living in a tent, which is perhaps the ultimate in cheap rent? He's also shattered the circumnavigation cycling world record twice in his career, completing 18,000 miles in just 78 days. For those of you interested in the maths, that's an average of 230 miles each day. Cycling. Riding the length of Africa (a mere 160 miles per day) was another a killer accomplishment, as was pedalling himself around Scotland's north west coastline in a non-stop 38 hour slog. Mark is a pioneer of solo expeditions, and long distance cycle routes are a good option for adventuring by yourself. The average novice adventurer could match his Scottish trip over a week of rigorous bursts we're sure! His documentaries have taken him to the Arctic, the high mountains and around the Commonwealth, and seen him capsize in the mid-Atlantic - all worth it for that perfect shot no doubt! Back on home soil, Beaumont celebrates Scotland's right to roam and true wilderness as a haven for adventure. He loves fresh water swimming - and anyone with a wetsuit can do the same. Loch Lomand or Wastwater in the Lake District both make good choices.

Humphries is aiming to stand on the highest point of 100 countries around the world. He's knocking off every one in Europe, before tackling the highest spots in Africa and South America in what has become an intense personal challenge. But then, he does have a head heights - he's a self-employed roofer. Lee devoured the Guinness World Records books as a youth and has always "had a fascination with extremes". These days he's scaling Mount Fuji in Japan and Portugal's Mount Pico, with his head still firmly in the clouds. It's comforting to know, though, that Humphries began as we all could. With nothing more than some outdoor clothes and a hopeful smile at Beacon Hill in the West Midlands and Cadair Berwyn in Wales. Where could your first summit take you?

Fresh from a 1200km Temple Pilgrimage in Japan, Ellie's adventures should strike a chord with anyone who wonders if they're too old for it all. She began following epic walking routes at the age of 40 - and before that exercise was almost a dirty word. She's since walked both the famed St Cuthbert's Way and the South West Coast Path, spending a sleepless, tentless night worrying about bears in South Devon. Which is quite the bear hotspot, obviously. To follow in her footsteps, brave a cycle tour with a lightweight tent and don't book a single night's accommodation. It's all part of the Bennett recipe for happiness.

A TV presenter and writer, Ochota sees the first frontier of adventure as sleeping under the stars, tentless, and there's no excuse for cowardice. "Try it in the back garden first!" as she puts it. Mary-Ann has crushed a few barriers in her time, walking Offa's Dyke, or night-diving among the wild critters of Anglesey. Workaday adventurers could try the coast path to Rhossili, on the Gower Peninsula - there's ice cream at the end! It's a far cry from her stint in Tibet last year, but hey, when adventure calls!

"Go and do something" - it's sound advice that we hear from seasoned adventurers time and time again. Leon might be a long distance kind of guy himself - cycling from New York to Hong Kong, walking across China, and riding a horse across Argentina for instance - but everyone has to start somewhere. His folding bike trip around the British Isles to climb the Six Peaks might sound like a lot of fun, but for mere mortals, it's fine to pick a challenge off the shelf. The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is halfway there after all. And there's always LEJOG (Land's End to John O'Groats), using your own quirky transport if you want to step it up a notch.

Pete's adventures are big hitters. The plan to take an epic motorbike ride to all 29 capitals of the EU in 29 days for instance. Or paddling a kayak around not only Britain, but sub-zero Newfoundland, and South Georgia. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Bray, given all the accolades, is that he now nestles in Cornwall, running the South West Paddle Fest where he races locals and challenges them to get stuck in to paddling the local waters. Maybe we'll see you at the next one, squaring up to Bray in a paddle stand-off? Or better yet, you could book Pete and his team to help you try the most extreme activities in the UK, with practical support and an expedition leader. Adventure trips take a degree of work and planning, but his team will take care of that for you!

A web developer with a dog and a habit of spending hours by his PC isn't everyone's idea of a legendary adventurer. But Sorrell, quite literally mapped how hiking happens today with his Social Hiking idea - a community of outdoorsy types who use GPS to track routes and connect with other keen hikers. Phil has achieved the '10in10' (10 mountains in 10 hours) but is still down to earth enough to think that "all walks should end at a pub." And cheers to that! 1,000 miles in a year was his next challenge, his way of "reconnecting with the countryside" and he recommends the mists over Fur Tor in Dartmoor as the pick of the bunch. Then there was the whimsical #countycastlecaper which drove him to walk or cycle to a castle in every ceremonial county of the UK (and boy are there a lot to choose from). That project is, as yet, unfinished. Via Social Hiking it'd be easy enough for you to join in the next time it surfaces.

"I am a normal person" Timmis assures us. That's good to know, since she's run across Africa. Twice. Now she's riding an ElliptiGO 8,000km across Australia. And before that there was the The Great Eskate - roller-skating herself across the Netherlands. She didn't have any experience of skating, but that "just made it all the more exciting!" A great attitude we feel! One of Emma's pre-adventure exploits was taking on Tough Mudder, a hardcore obstacle race including icy water and electric shocks - thankfully not at the same time. There's a mini course for little terrors too, so age is no barrier. But train for the Mudder and before you know it, adventure will be a piece of cake.

Perhaps the biggest name in survivalism, and a regular on TV screens, Bear holds an amusing world record for the highest open-air formal dinner party - having tucked in to a meal from a hot air balloon at 25,000 ft. But then, he's also a gritty adventurer whose adventure credentials were fostered in the SAS, scaling Everest at the tender age of 23. Though not everyone will know that Bear broke his back while skydiving just before Everest and underwent a long recovery in hospital, haunted by nightmares of falling. Alongside shorter challengers, the Bear Grylls Survival Academy offers you the chance of the Scottish Highlands for a 30-hour 'island drop' in the remote wilds of the UK, following the same format as his 'The Island' TV show. Set over 5 days, you're guaranteed tough conditions all year round. Definitely Bear's cup of tea.

Penn defines success as waking up daily and working directly on the things she cares about. And to be honest, so do we. Penn is also the legend that charted a bio-fueled record-breaking powerboat called Earthrace around the globe. Mass waste clean-ups on Pacific islands, trawling for micro plastics in the Arctic, it's all part of the job for Emily. EXXpedition is her all-female crew, sailing to global ports with the mission to "make the unseen seen" - a conservation agenda on ocean pollution. The mission has just finished the trip round Britain and next up is the Carribbean. Even better, there are places available on the coming voyages for everything from cooks to filmmakers. Or if you're a) not female or b) not in for that, join one of the mission's many nationwide UK events instead. It's a massively worthwhile cause.

Lois combines a need for speed with a restless urge for adventure - a recipe made in biking heaven. Leaving a secure job with the BBC to ride 20,000 miles from Alaska to the tip of South America astride her Yamaha, Pryce rates sleeping tentless in the Sahara desert and dodging landmines in Angola amongst her greatest moments. She's left her screeching tyre tracks as far afield as Africa and the stormy nation of Iran too. If a motorbike calls to you too, try The Longest Day Down challenge. On a bike costing no more than £300, rev your way from Land's End to John O'Groats in one epic day. All you really need is a pair of itchy feet.

Driven by the rallying cry of "one life, live it" Radcliffe's races range from the epic to tempting microadventures. She's climbed the highest mountains in the eight Alpine countries, cycling between each and looking down with Europe at her feet- the only person in history to have sweated through that challenge. Radcliffe also has an annual pilgrimage from London to Paris in 24 hours by bike, and she'll take anyone who'll sign up to join her on a true adventure. Just think, it'll be selfies and congratulations at the Eiffel Tower by mid afternoon! She's currently setting up TrailBlazers, a youth initiative to help teenage girls develop confidence and courage. We'll expect to see them all on bikes one day, baguettes and berets in hand! Will you be there?

While at the North Pole, Evans fought a polar bear for two hours, and lost. The bear walked away with his sledge and food, but Julian got to walk away too - so you can still consider us impressed. An adventurer with an incredible history, Evans grew up in Leicestershire. His day job as a chartered surveyor keeps him grounded, but there's no doubting his solid adventure credentials! Julian is working through the Adventures Grand Slam, climbing the highest summit on seven continents and topping it off with a walk to both Poles. Hence the bear. If you're not the bear-pummelling type, you can skip the -63C polar lows and follow his 2013 footsteps at the Three Peaks instead. Julian climbed all three points with his father in 24 hours. That's a heck of a target though, so there's no shame in taking your time. The peaks won't go anywhere.

"A Tibetan winter, a Saharan summer, being beaten up by a mob and being chased by elephants" are just some of the things that Walker has taken in his stride. His 43,000 mile bike journey took him to the furthest cape in three continents and ignited a spark for relentless adventure. Hungrier than ever, in 2017 he dived into a 9,000 km triathlon across the snowfields of Russia and sections of the Asian border - launching into the unknown and undaunted by the crippling conditions. If any of that has got your blood pumping, set your sights on a triathlon of your own with the annual Ironman UK Challenge. Mind you, that takes on five counties and requires muscles of steel, so you'll need to do some build up work! Along the way, there'll be time to find any stretch of coast, far from the madding crowd, build a campfire and enjoy the sound of the surf. "British escapism at its best" as he puts it.

An endurance junkie at 40-something, Smith is capable of running seven marathons in as many days, and has, consequently, set a record for sleep deprivation. Before that he worked in telecoms though, so there's hope for us all! More recently he reached the seven highest summits on all seven continents, cycling quite literally to the top of the world. From a base in Somerset, he continues to explore the most physically demanding challenges Britain has to offer, conquering the very best: the Three Peaks, the Ten Tors Challenge, Ben Nevis winter climbs, Snowdon, Scafell Pike and more. #Everesting is his challenge to suit anyone lacking a handy flight to Nepal, however. The idea, invented in 1994, is to take a hill and cycle up it as many times as needed to equal the height of Everest - 8,800 metres. Those who do it join an online hall of fame. With as much time as you need and no altitude sickness, how would you tackle it?

Sir Ranulph is the only man alive ever to have travelled around the Earth's circumpolar surface. A true icon among British explorers. Most of the adventurers on our list would credit Fiennes as their inspiration, and there's no doubting that he is one of the greats. Now in his 70s, he still maintains that he'll save gardening for his old age. There's no sign of that being imminent though - this year he's going for the Adventure Grand Slam, both poles and all of the highest peaks on the globe in aid of Marie Curie. It's hard to picture him slowing down, even with a few fingers lost to frostbite. With 40 years of exploring under his belt, perhaps Fiennes' challenge might inspire you to battle with some of the UK's highest points? But how about abseiling down rather than scaling up? The Berwyn mountains in Wales are some of the best for getting started, or for city dwellers, perhaps rappelling down tall buildings. Start with the Arcelormittal Orbit tower in Stratford's Olympic Park. Sir Ranulph might just be the world's greatest living explorer, but a little bit of that magic can rub off on anyone!

How do you climb the kilometre-high granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite without the use of your lower body? "Thousands of pull ups," confides Darke - and pints of sweat no doubt. Karen is a wheelchair user who refuses to compromise on either life or adventure. And it doesn't get much more hardcore than hand biking through the Himalayas or crossing Greenland on a sit-ski. Riding the Coastal Bike Trail from Canada to Mexico with the sun on her back, Karen is "happy as long as her ass is moving" and the sights and experiences keep coming. Of course, there's no need to head to the US for that. You'll find plenty of epic sights taking on a major chunk of the UK's coastal trails.

Bordering on adventure superhero status, Prior has ascended various famous peaks across five continents, getting close to 20,000 feet. A member of the elite Explorers Club, for a change of pace, he set a world record by driving a London cab around the world. We can only assume he wakes up with perfect hair, too. Matt uses only a rough plan with "as much flexibility as possible" on his adventures and goes wherever curiosity leads, regardless of sacrifices. It's that ethos which has allowed him to ride Patagonia on a motorbike and drive from Mongolia to London in a car worth just £150. He's quite the savvy haggler, no doubt. Accessible adventures are around every corner. You just need to find a tentative notion that gets your pulse going and makes your palms slightly sweaty. Prior himself cut his teeth in the RAF on armed forces discipline, and well used to lengthy marches. So you could do worse than the Exmoor 30:30, which involves carrying 30lbs of weight over 30km, in true military fashion. But to really stretch yourself, you could sign up to Matt's own Adventure Academy for a week-long course in Indonesia perhaps!

Cooking up the whimsical idea of walking 1,000 miles around Wales with a sweet seaside donkey called Chico, it turns out that the coastal path Hannah hoped to take wasn't exactly 100% suitable for donkeys. The best laid plans, as they say. But she'd already fallen for her obstinate companion and wasn't about to give up. A more donkey-friendly route was found, and off she set. Five months on and her trip was a success. Engelkamp calls it the perfect adventure on her doorstep, rolling her eyes at the notion that you need exotic destinations for grand adventures. Her inspiration for the journey was reading about Wales' new network of footpaths that connect nicely to Offa's Dyke. And although donkeys are forbidden as it turns out, dogs are very welcome. Why not spend some weekends on your own grand Welsh tour?

Ian's own taste for adventure came from countless nights trekking across the Outer Hebrides. Any leap, near or far, can be enough to break the spell of ordinary life. Driven by discovery, Finch has become a successful wilderness guide and adventure photographer. If you need someone to cross the Norwegian segment of the Arctic circle on foot, taking incredible shots along the way, he's your man. Though he freely admits that his regular segments as an outdoor expert for Good Morning Britain are a little less badass. His 2,000 mile descent of the Yukon River in a 68-day canoeing epic was named as one of the Guardian's most inspiring adventures of 2016, but his adventures on home turf are perhaps more accessible. A 215 mile source-to-sea hike of the River Thames, starting in a charming Gloucestershire meadow, is the sort of thing we can all tackle. Trace the route of the River Calden, River Don or River Swale by dinghy or on foot, and you'll make it without any specialist equipment.

A travelling photo addict, Susie has cycled four time zones and 5,000km in a quest to cross Australia via its southern coast from Perth to Sydney. A backpacker with a difference, having fallen in love with New Zealand in her early 20s, Pike promised herself an Australian adventure before she got too old for a youth visa. Her story is testament to what happens when you commit to those nagging dreams that are all too easily put off till tomorrow. She'd never owned a bike before her adventure and got by with an impressive array of work-for-accommodation hosts and couchsurfing. Fuelled with Tim Tams, she made the finish line, high-fiving her inner self and overjoyed that she'd "fulfilled her inner promise." It was an epic, puncture free journey with good karma that lasted 132 glorious days of cycling. For the rest of us, it's time to look back for that one big challenge we neglected, or put on the shelf for tomorrow. Dust it off and set down on paper a few steps you could take towards making it real and achievable. How can you solve the challenges that are holding you back?

A year off at 30 inspired Crow to go freelance and write about the things she loved while travelling overland through Asia, free as the wind. It was a career break that became the defining moment in a life shift and she never looked back. That "sense of elation and freedom" drove Crow to trek in Romania, sea-kayak close to Vancouver Island - and now sees her as queen of the Lake District, having negotiated the long distance routes time and time again and written many popular guides. While sea-kayaking through arches and caves in hidden corners of the coastline offers a taste of real microadventure, dominating the 212-mile Southern Upland Way and sleeping in bothies is the true test.

Kirkpatrick's refreshing approach is not about numbers or world firsts, but purely breaking barriers within himself. He's proud not to have climbed Everest - something of a rarity on this list - but the truth is, Kirkpatrick is in a league of his own when it comes to climbing. He veers unerringly towards "the long, the cold and the ferociously difficult" of this world. Considered one of the toughest ascents in the world, he climbed Yosemite's El Capitan in a single day. Normal logic might suggest seeing an obstacle and going around it. For Kirkpatrick, it's strap up and climb over it. In 2014 he came across what climbers colloquially refer to as the hardest mountain in the world, Ulvertanna in Antarctica. He climbed it in minus 30 temperatures, suggesting that it brought "new meaning to the words 'epic' and 'cold'''.

UK Adventurer of the Year in 2015, Ash is man enough to make anyone look soft. He's the first person ever to cross the length of Madagascar - fighting off crocodiles during an epic 155 day trek of 1,600 miles of blood, sweat and endurance. And his warm up for that was to be the first to walk solo across Mongolia, unsupported and entirely alone. Trained in Thai kickboxing, and with survival training honed by a Burmese Hill tribe, Dykes is able to dig deep into reserves of physical and mental determination to achieve record breaking firsts.

A woman who has stood on both of the world's highest points, Bonita's friends and family thought her crazy. Norris started making grand plans for a summit of the 8th highest mountain in the world as a novice climber, turning a blind eye to everyone's worried glances. Putting aching foot in front of aching foot, somehow, eventually there was no more mountain left. Norris immediately began training for Everest after that, and got herself up the 2.5 vertical miles to the summit in minus 40 temperatures. "I'll never forget the pain and exhaustion of climbing in the death zone, and then the sunrise illuminating the curvature of the Earth," she says elatedly. Having ski'd her way to the North Pole from Russia, her advice is to "Have the courage to ride out life's rapids, instead of shying away."

Lewis is, and will always be, the first person ever to circumnavigate the globe by human power alone. No engines, no sails, and no one leading the way before him. A window cleaner before his travels, he set out aged 26 with just £319 to his name - crossing the entire expanse of North America on inline skates, and pedalling the Pacific Ocean. It might have taken a staggering 13 years, but it's left him with enviable bragging rights and a hell of a story, recorded in 44 notebooks of scribbles. Not to mention a left leg almost an inch shorter than the right after being hit by a drunk driver in Colorado. That wasn't his only brush with disaster either, surviving septicaemia, two bouts of malaria, and narrowly avoiding a 40 year prison sentence after getting arrested for illegally crossing between Sudan and Egypt. Despite that, the Lewis message is that every dream you ever flicked away as ridiculous, could be a treasure.

An enigmatic gentleman adventurer striding the world on a ludicrously proportioned bicycle of yesteryear, Summerfield is like something out of a Victorian novel. Joff runs a Bohemian business in London building and restoring traditional Penny Farthing bikes - no really, that's his day job. Deciding to put one of his bikes to the test, he began cycling around the world on a quirky adventure covering a distance of 23,000 miles - crossing the Himalayas and getting robbed at gunpoint in Ecuador. Nonchalantly, he then got into some of the world's most impressive cycling events, such as the Holland to Boulogne Bicycle Rally and the Call of the Road, which involved over 10,000 miles spanning from Toronto to Quito. All this on a bike that most people would struggle to even mount. Summerfield's first round the world attempt ended with a whimper on day one due to a knee problem, so he faced the music and came home. "It made me all the more determined to try again," he smiles - and try again he did.

Bushby knows a little something about delayed gratification. Setting off to walk an unbroken path around the world in 1998, it's taken him 36,000 miles but the finish is finally in sight. Hull might not be the starting point most would have chosen, but it's the Holy Grail for Karl as he pushes a hand cart across the remotest countries of the world and heads for his mum's house back home. He's already crossed the Gobi Desert and the icy Bering straits of China, and when he finishes, it will have been an odyssey of 21 years. He nearly lost it all in Russia, when visas and bureaucracy cracked down on his antics. But nothings stops Karl, inexorable as the tides, Bushby trudges doggedly on. Persistency is ultimately undefeatable.

The legend behind the mass commercial enterprises of Virgin is more than an entrepreneur, he's the crafter of intense personal challenges. Though ones with very high near-death rates! 1987 was the year that Branson skydived and pulled the wrong cord. It's only thanks to his nearby instructor is he still with us today. He followed that in '91 when his hot air balloon plunged into the Pacific. But then in 2004 Branson smashed a world record by driving Dover to Calais in a car that could take to water, dressed in a tux and with the air of James Bond - fully reclaiming his adventure creds. Age was no excuse either, he was still at it in 2012 - kiteboarding his way into the record books with a trip across the English Channel, the oldest ever to do so. Branson's childhood was littered with microadventures before the term existed: swimming in rivers, climbing trees and exploring the world, in the same way we all could. He's looking at you when he says "Having been brought up on microadventures, you can always go on to even bigger adventures."

Adventurer and TV presenter Reeve has seen 120+ countries during his travels, and been hailed by the BBC as the "British television's most adventurous traveller." He's hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari, dived with manta rays, dodged flying bullets in danger hotspots, lived through malaria, and walked through minefields. In 2005 he travelled to a selection of countries so obscure that officially they don't exist. And it made for riveting viewing. He holds a Somali diplomatic passport, 'acquired' in Mogadishu, the most dangerous city in the world, from a man named Mr Big Beard. And the same raw spirit saw him use a local smuggler's zip-line to get into Chin State in Myanmar (Burma), one of the most repressive states in the world. Extraordinary just doesn't cover it.

Edwards sailed into the record books by circumnavigating the North Pole at the tender age of 14 - the youngest ever to do so. We'll just let that sink in for a minute. Still unable to buy a razor from Boots, Ben sailed around the pole over 20 weeks. No stranger to danger, Ben ran from polar bears and got trapped in a hurricane at 76 knots. And all despite a long term health condition (Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis) - the inspiration behind him taking on the challenge for charity. Ben has the wonderful benefit of youth. Of not knowing that his feats are impossible. How far that idea could take us all we wonder?

A few years ago Wade was just like you and me, an agency copywriter looking at an uneventful life. When a trip to the Congo came up, he practically left scorch marks in his haste to dump the job and live life on his own terms. The trip was verging-on-deadly, gifting him a dose of malaria. But Jeremy never looked back - returning to the Congo, and other danger hotspots many times across 25 years of solo travel, in search of the world's remotest rivers. His hit extreme angling TV show 'River Monsters' has brought fishing into the media spotlight, as he seeks out the world's most insanely dangerous water creatures. Living lean and sacrificing other costs were all he needed to make that happen. And that's the uncomfortable truth: we can all afford it if we choose to do so. Wade used odd jobs and a brief stint as a biology teacher to save up his pennies. That unnecessary car or fancy postcode could be the choice you make between a life like Wade's and something altogether more ordinary.

Hudson is a remarkable expert, knocking away any notion of placing our adventurers on a pedestal. Yet when the British army doesn't know how to stay alive, this is the man they call. He has survived the elements equally well in several jungles, the Arctic Circle and the intense conditions of the Atacama Desert. John literally wrote the book on survival - or the army manual, anyway. He's lived by his wits - "and often only the contents of his pockets" - in some really remote parts of the globe. It's a career that has taken him to the jungle of French Guyana, Resolute Bay in Canada, and out into the forest with the charity Shelterbox, prepping them for disaster relief. Now based in Cornwall, he's still the British military's chief SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance & Extraction) instructor. His simple advice to would-be adventurers is summed up as: go outside more! "Being in open spaces has been proven to make us feel happier in our day to day, e-mail deleting norm". Oh, and always bring a Swiss Army pen-knife.

Gordon is the working mum who baulked at a school gym horse, but went on the climb the world's toughest peaks. Having spent the vast majority of her life behind a desk, Masha remains genuinely relatable. Mum to two kids in the suburbs, she "couldn't run 5km without a rest." Yet, on maternity leave in her 30s, the thirst for adventure struck hard and fast. From her first moments having a go at climbing in The Alps, she was unstoppable - setting a world record for the fastest female to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (an adventurer's challenge to reach both poles and all of the Seven Summits) in just eight months. It's the absolute pinnacle of achievement. Her charity Grit & Rock encourages inner city teenage girls to challenge themselves and find "the sense of adventure" that drives a love for an active lifestyle. Learn to love the burn, and the rest will follow she promises.

Seeing the light and quitting her job in finance, Williams soared to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and backpacked her way around the awe-inspiring continent of south America. She topped it all by through-hiking the entire length of the Appalachian Trail- over 2000 miles in 100 days- vlogging camera in hand. Deciding to take the women of the world with her, she launched the Tough Girl podcast and other eager explorers across 168 countries have flocked to join her. There's no need to jump ship, burn your credit cards, or ransack the house, but Sarah's motivational podcast is full of inspiring women encouraging you to go for gold in your everyday life. Could it inspire you in the same way it did Christine Armstrong, heading into her 60s as the self proclaimed "world's slowest cyclist"? She's cycled the length of the Rhine over a series of long weekends and will soon finish a (very leisurely) tour of the UK's coast, sandwiched between grandchildren and the joys of retirement!

Fitzhigham is a surreal comic who plays the part of the quintessential gentleman explorer, poking gentle but hilarious fun at the extravagant bets and challenges that explorers come up with. Rowing a bathtub across the River Thames is just a case in point - and he made it too, in a copper tub with a rubber duck for company. Then he took it across the Channel in just 24 hours, because he "really needed to get out more." In what critics called "inspired lunacy" he followed that up with a paper canoe journey that reached record distance down the Thames. Tim has forged magic from the wildly improbable scenarios and raised thousands for charity in the process. He is our ultimate shenaniganist!